The Quest
by MagicMagelet
Summary: Kel goes on her first Quest as a knight, and guess who her partner is??? this takes place after Squire, so don't read it unless you've finished Squire!
1. Goodbyes

Disclaimer: these characters are all owned by T.P, I am just using them. Please don't sue me!!!!  
A/N this is under the name of magicmagelet, but I want everyone to know that Dain Salmalin was the one who actually wrote this story; I just gave her the ideas and the plot. I feed, she puts them down in pen. Also I hope all you C/K fans aren't to disappointed, but I think Neal is much better for her!   
  
  
Keladry of Midelan sprawled in a chair, eyes shut. Her head was spinning wildly with visions of huge metal spiders and short, nervous men She groaned. The visions from the chamber have still been haunting her, even though it was a month ago.   
"Anything I can do?" Neal asked her. He was eating a slice of blueberry pie. "You know, just a flick and..." He snapped his wrist out and let a flash of green light finish the sentence.  
Kel shook her head. "Not really. It's a mental thing. Healers can't do much with that."  
"But the Gift can..." Neal persisted.   
"No! Neal, this is something that I have to go through. It'll help me later. Just be patient, if you know how to."   
"But we're leaving tomorrow. I want to say goodbye today so that..."  
"We won't be late. Goddess, you think of nothing else."  
Neal's eyes twinkled. "You're being harsh."  
Kel felt her heart thud at Neal's words. Does he mean he thinks of me?, she wondered. Instantly, she scolded herself for the thought. You love Cleon, remember?  
"I do believe you've distracted me from my misery," she told him with a grin. "Let's go and say goodbye."  
  
Kel split up with Neal so they could have private farewells. She suspected he went along with it for Cleon's sake, but she tried not to think about it.  
"Owen!" she called. A squire in his last year looked up from his book.  
"Kel! Oh dear, you're coming to say goodbye, aren't you? It's jolly that you and Neal are going on a quest. Will you write to me?"  
"Yes, if you'll read them to your cousins. I haven't time to write to everyone, you know."  
Owen nodded and promptly dove back into his book. Kel thought about more people to say goodbye to. There was Lalasa, Cleon...was that all?  
Kel sighed. It was. All her other friends were off on their own quests. Cleon was still at home only because he had gotten his trip postponed until she left. Kel decided to talk to Lalasa first. Cleon always made her slightly jumpy, for some reason.   
"Lalasa!" Kel exclaimed as she entered the crowded shop. Her old maid was sewing something with thin silky stuff. The short girl stood up.   
"My lady! You're going? I'm so happy for you."  
"I'll write. Say, would you make sure Jump and the sparrows have enough to eat?"  
"Oh, of course I will!"  
"Bye, Lalasa. I'll write to you."  
"Goodbye, my lady!" Lalasa was then swept up in customers. Kel left the shop with a small sigh. No one seemed to have any time for her except Neal...and Cleon, she added guiltily. Even Owen was too busy to have a proper talk. She was about to cry when she caught herself.  
I am a lake on a summer day, she whispered to herself as she headed for the knight's quarters.  
  
Cleon was staring out his window. Why do we always have to leave each other?, he sighed. And why Neal? She might fall for him.  
"Cleon?" He recognized the voice.   
"Kel!" He had her in his arms the next instant.   
"Oh, I wanted to see you so much," he told her. "I keep thinking about you leaving. It's torture, Kel."  
"Now you know how I felt. Can't you be happy for me?"  
Cleon shook his head. "No. I'm too worried to be happy, even for your sake."  
Kel sighed. "No one is happy around me anymore."  
He tilted her chin up and kissed her by way of an answer. Kel pulled away as soon as he released her. She started to cry and fled from the room.  
  
  
*****  
  
"Well, it's time to go." Neal informed Kel the next morning. It was dark and foggy. Kel looked back once at the castle. She sighed and followed Neal, leaving Cleon alone and heartbroken.  



	2. Quest

A/N: This is the second chapter, hope you enjoy! Please remember that I get the ideas, and my friend puts them in writing, so there are two of us behind the scenes.   
Disclaimer: The characters are Tamora Pierce's. I'm just doing this for fun! Please don't sue me!  
  
The pair rode hard for the first three days. There was no point in talking; there was nothing to talk about. They made good time; about 40 miles a day. Peachblossom was amenable to this pace; the damp weather put him in good spirits.  
It was on the forth day that problems started. Kel woke up at daybreak. She looked at Neal, who was still sound asleep. She grinned and stood up. The frosty air nipped her cheeks.   
Kel sat down five minutes later. Her bedroll was packed neatly, and Peachblossom was ready to go. She chose a piece of dried meat from her supplies for breakfast.  
"Look who's up." Neal was standing, looking slightly sleepy, but not much. "How you can be awake at this infernal hour is unfathomable."  
Kel grinned at him. "Time to go. You had better pack up."  
"You think of nothing but work, Midelan."  
  
It took Neal half an hour to get ready. Finally, they started off. The day was gray and cold. Peachblossom was in ecstasy. Kel and Neal, on the other hand, were cold and grumpy. Kel didn't even try to think about Cleon as she normally did.  
They stopped at midday. Neal rolled off his horse and limped to a clearing.  
"I can't be going at this pace, Kel. This is a torturous pace. I tell you, 40 miles is..."  
"Ssh." Kel was rigid. Neal stopped talking and listened. Soon it reached his ears as well; the slight clicking noise that spelled danger.   
"It's one of those metal creatures."  
"What should we do?" Neal asked nervously. Their voices had lowered to whispers, but the noise came closer despite this precaution.  
Kel was shaking with terror. The last time she saw one of the creatures; it had taken a dozen men to subdue it, not to mention two lives and several injuries. How could two inexperienced knights defeat it? She slowly backed up.  
"We'll ride away as fast as we can. But watch where it goes. It might be useful." Neal silently mounted. Then, at a sign from Kel, the two spun around and galloped away as fast as they could.   
  
"West. Let's go." Kel commanded. Neal stared at her.  
"You want to follow those things? There's probably a whole den of 'em. You're heading to your death, Keladry of Midelan; and mine too!"  
"Not necessarily. Follow me this once, Neal. Please?"   
Neal's green eyes were dark as he watched her. "You think I would desert you? You're crazier than I thought you were. Kel, I will not let you walk straight into danger. If you're going to kill yourself, I'm coming too!"  
Kel smiled. "Thanks. I need some moral support, you know."  
Neal got a strange look on his face. Kel turned to look at him, but the look was gone as quickly as it came.  
"How did you ever manage to leave him?" Neal asked her. Kel glanced sharply at him, but he looked perfectly serious.  
"Well, it is nice to get a break every now and then, you know," she answered, trying to keep the mood lighthearted.  
Neal didn't respond. Kel put on her Yamani face and took the lead, not wanted to go into another discussion.   
  



	3. Letters

A/N: This story was thought up by me (Kat or MagicMagelet) and Dain put it in writing. Give her the praise, too.  
Disclaimer: The characters belong to Tamora Pierce. We are just borrowing them.  
  
Cleon wandered through a busy marketplace. It was filled with noise and excitement, but to him it was as empty as his heart.   
"I wish I never came here!" he thought fiercely. "I didn't want to leave her. And here I am, miles away from Tortall, and she's as far away in the opposite direction."  
Cleon was so occupied with his thoughts that he didn't notice the young girl coming in his direction. The next thing he knew, he had been sent sprawling on the street and through the mud.  
He sat up. "I beg pardon, miss..." he apologized, noticing the girl who was standing up. She laughed.  
"Oh, no matter. Where are you from?" she asked him. Cleon stood up and brushed himself off.  
"Tortall. Are you from around here?"  
"No; well, yes. I live on the edges of town."  
"I see. Are you hurt? I believe it was my fault you went flying," he laughed. The girl laughed with him and got up.   
"I'm fine. Really, I should have been watching more carefully."  
"Well, it was nice running into you, Miss...."  
"Areida. And the same to you."  
"Cleon."   
"And the same to you, Cleon. Good day!" Cleon shrugged and went back to his wanderings.  
  
*****  
  
Kel knelt beside a flat stone, holding a blank piece of paper down. She glanced at Neal. He was sound asleep. She began to write.  
  
"Dearest Cleon," she began. Sweet enough. Maybe it's too much. Kel crossed out the 'est' and started again.  
"We have gone many miles from Tortall. I miss you so much! It would be much better to have you here...." Kel stopped. She scribbled out the last line. It wouldn't be much better to have him here. I'll leave the rest, but I don't know if I could stand being with just him every day, all day.  
"We heard one of those metal kraken I told you about. It didn't come after us, but we're going to follow it today. I don't want to follow it, but I feel like I must. Do you ever get that feeling, Cleon?"   
"The sun is coming up, so I must go. I hope you will get this soon; I'll give it to the first traveler I see. Don't forget me!" Pretty good. I guess it'll have to do..   
"Love, Kel" She folded the letter and slid it into her pocket. Neal rolled over and muttered. She sat down on the rock and watched the sun slide into the murky grayness.   
You can't really call it the sun coming up, Kel thought. It is more like going out. The light slid behind a cloud. Kel sighed and settled down to watch for a chance traveler.  
  



	4. Kraken

A/N: Again, Dain is writing my words, I think them up; Dain writes them into a story (How does she do it?)   
Disclaimer: Characters are all part of Tamora Pierce's work; even the animals are hers. Don't sue me.  
  
Cleon set down Kel's letter with a sigh of rapture. It was wonderful to hold a paper that she had held, to read her words; a silent link over many miles. Cleon read the letter again once more, his eyes lingering on the last words. He kissed the letter with a slight fancy and carefully set it back on his desk.   
"Come back safe to me, pearl," he whispered to the paper.  
  
*****  
  
Kel sat before a small fire, watching Neal struggle with his tent. Every time he got half of it up, the other side slid apart. He glanced at her.  
"Come over here and help me get this up, Kel. I'm not any better at this than I was as a page, despite all the practice the Stump gave me," he informed her. As he spoke, the half of the tent still up slid to the ground. Neal turned around and glared at it. Kel dissolved into giggles. Neal turned back around and glared at her.  
"What is so funny about my tent falling apart?" he demanded. The question didn't help Kel's composure.  
"It's just...the look on your face," she gasped between laughs. "You looked so...angry. At the tent." She started to laugh again.  
"What is it about tents? I hate them," Neal complained.  
"Why do you bring one?"  
"Because I'd rather not be soaked in the morning by those clouds, Lady Keladry. Now, if you will help me?"  
The tent was up in 5 minutes after Kel helped.  
"It's not that hard. Just practice." Neal glared at her.  
"I have been practicing for eight years, and I don't think I'll improve."  
Kel grinned but managed to stop another laugh. She helped Neal scuff out most of the fire before they stumbled into their tents.  
She was awakened ten minutes later by a yell.  
"Kel!" She poked her head out of her tent and peered in Neal's direction.  
He was trashing around inside of his collapsed tent. "Get me out of this!"  
"Why don't you just sleep under it, like a blanket?" Kel suggested as Neal crawled out of the mass of cloth.   
"That is the first good idea I've heard all day. Goodnight." Neal rescued his bedroll and pulled the tent over it. Kel retreated to her own bed, where she laughed until tears came to her eyes.  
  
*****  
  
"Dearest Kel,  
I have been doing pretty well, though I'm afraid I'm going slower than I should. I keep thinking that I'm going farther from Tortall....and you. Are you doing well?"  
"I am in a deserted field right now. Unfortunately, being older, I have to go on my quest alone. It would be much better if someone came with me.  
"May the Goddess protect you, my sunrise.  
"Love, Cleon"  
  
Cleon sighed as he thought of Kel's fingers on the page he now held.  
"I wish you were here," he whispered to the air. He retreated into his blankets as a wind came up, and fell asleep to dream of his Kel.  
  
  
  



	5. An unexpected Breakfast

A/N: Again, Dain is writing my words, I think them up; Dain writes them into a story (How does she do it?)   
Disclaimer: Characters are all part of Tamora Pierce's work; even the animals are hers. Don't sue me.  
  
Cleon set down Kel's letter with a sigh of rapture. It was wonderful to hold a paper that she had held, to read her words; a silent link over many miles. Cleon read the letter again once more, his eyes lingering on the last words. He kissed the letter with a slight fancy and carefully set it back on his desk.   
"Come back safe to me, pearl," he whispered to the paper.  
  
*****  
  
Kel sat before a small fire, watching Neal struggle with his tent. Every time he got half of it up, the other side slid apart. He glanced at her.  
"Come over here and help me get this up, Kel. I'm not any better at this than I was as a page, despite all the practice the Stump gave me," he informed her. As he spoke, the half of the tent still up slid to the ground. Neal turned around and glared at it. Kel dissolved into giggles. Neal turned back around and glared at her.  
"What is so funny about my tent falling apart?" he demanded. The question didn't help Kel's composure.  
"It's just...the look on your face," she gasped between laughs. "You looked so...angry. At the tent." She started to laugh again.  
"What is it about tents? I hate them," Neal complained.  
"Why do you bring one?"  
"Because I'd rather not be soaked in the morning by those clouds, Lady Keladry. Now, if you will help me?"  
The tent was up in 5 minutes after Kel helped.  
"It's not that hard. Just practice." Neal glared at her.  
"I have been practicing for eight years, and I don't think I'll improve."  
Kel grinned but managed to stop another laugh. She helped Neal scuff out most of the fire before they stumbled into their tents.  
She was awakened ten minutes later by a yell.  
"Kel!" She poked her head out of her tent and peered in Neal's direction.  
He was trashing around inside of his collapsed tent. "Get me out of this!"  
"Why don't you just sleep under it, like a blanket?" Kel suggested as Neal crawled out of the mass of cloth.   
"That is the first good idea I've heard all day. Goodnight." Neal rescued his bedroll and pulled the tent over it. Kel retreated to her own bed, where she laughed until tears came to her eyes.  
  
*****  
  
"Dearest Kel,  
I have been doing pretty well, though I'm afraid I'm going slower than I should. I keep thinking that I'm going farther from Tortall....and you. Are you doing well?"  
"I am in a deserted field right now. Unfortunately, being older, I have to go on my quest alone. It would be much better if someone came with me.  
"May the Goddess protect you, my sunrise.  
"Love, Cleon"  
  
Cleon sighed as he thought of Kel's fingers on the page he now held.  
"I wish you were here," he whispered to the air. He retreated into his blankets as a wind came up, and fell asleep to dream of his Kel. 


End file.
